Trump names Andrew Ferguson as FTC Chair. What are the Massive Tech implications?

Investing.com — President-elect Donald Trump has introduced his intention to raise present FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson to the function of Chairman, with the transition anticipated subsequent month.

Whereas Ferguson has signaled assist for deregulatory insurance policies, significantly in rising areas like AI, his vocal skepticism towards main expertise corporations, together with Meta (NASDAQ:META), Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), stands out.

In line with Ferguson, his priorities as Chair would come with reversing most of the insurance policies applied beneath present FTC Chair Lina Khan.

Notably, he has acknowledged he would “Cease Lina Khan’s conflict on mergers. Most mergers profit Individuals and promote the motion of capital that fuels innovation.”

On AI regulation, Ferguson has pledged to “finish the FTC’s try and turn out to be an AI regulator.”

Nonetheless, his deregulatory stance doesn’t prolong to Massive Tech. Ferguson has promised to “Focus antitrust enforcement in opposition to Massive Tech monopolies, particularly these corporations engaged in illegal censorship.”

He has additionally dedicated to pursuing each structural and behavioral treatments beneath antitrust legal guidelines to stop dominant platforms from utilizing their market place to stifle competitors and innovation.

Commenting on this, TD Cowen analysts counsel this might sign a continuation of serious FTC actions.

For instance, Ferguson is predicted to keep up the company’s aggressive method to the antitrust lawsuit in opposition to Amazon, with little chance of settling earlier than the trial set for mid-2026.

“And if the FTC wins, his feedback counsel he would search a breakup,” analysts stated.

Equally, Ferguson is prone to maintain the continuing investigation into Microsoft, which reportedly focuses on the corporate’s practices of probably tying Azure income to Office365.

Meta can be anticipated to stay within the FTC’s crosshairs, with the company persevering with its uphill authorized battle to drive the divestiture of Instagram.

Ferguson might also pursue Meta and Google over allegations of censorship, referencing a 2020 government order directing the FTC to look at “unfair or misleading acts or practices” associated to speech moderation by Part 230-covered entities.

“In different phrases, even 230-protected content material may be discovered illegal by the FTC,” analysts famous.

One other space of focus may very well be generative AI mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Ferguson’s feedback elevate questions on whether or not the biggest tech corporations will face heightened scrutiny of their makes an attempt to accumulate items of the generative AI ecosystem.

This might complicate efforts by tech giants to leverage M&A as a method to handle dangers and maximize alternatives within the quickly rising discipline.